Save the Last Dance
by kaibasgirlx
Summary: For some people, waking up to find out they switched places with a multibillionair would've made their day.  For others, it just ruins it. [Azureshipping]
1. Chapter 1

**Save the Last Dance**

"Okay big brother, you can open your eyes now!"

Seto Kaiba opened his steely blue eyes. He was sitting in a restaurant, and in front of him was something that made him mentally slap himself.

"C'mon Seto, make a wish and blow out the candles, it's your birthday!" Mokuba said, grinning from ear to ear.

The CEO smiled back thinly as he looked at the thick mocha cake that had 19 candles on top, all of which were lit. Trust his little brother to go all out for a day he never bothered to take note of.

"You do realize my birthday isn't until tomorrow, right?" He said, turning to look at the youth.

"Yeah, but tomorrow you said you had all those business meetings and you're going to be busy, so I decided to celebrate it a little earlier." His brother replied with an impish smile.

"I see."

"So blow out the candles already!" Mokuba said eagerly.

Closing his eyes for a moment, he reopened them and let out one long breath, not changing his position at all.

"What'd you wish for?" Mokuba asked curiously, as a waitress came over and began to cut the cake for them.

"What makes you so sure I wished for something?" Kaiba asked, smirking slightly.

"Well, if you did, I hope it comes true," the boy said earnestly.

The CEO signed inaudibly. _One day you'll learn Mokuba, dreams don't come true by making a wish and blowing out the candles on a cake. It comes from hard work and perseverance, and not letting anyone step on you. Putting your faith in things like wishes and magic will never get you anywhere in life._

"Well, c'mon Seto, taste the cake! Isn't it your favorite flavor?" Mokuba asked, looking up at his brother with big, innocent eyes.

With a slight smile, Kaiba picked up his fork and began to eat.

-

"So what's the big news you had for us, Téa?" Yugi asked. They were all seated around the same table in the same restaurant as the Kaiba brothers. They were here because their best friend, Téa Gardner, had told them she had some very exciting news to share with them.

"Yeah, hurry up, I'm starving!" Joey exclaimed.

Téa rolled her eyes at her friend's antics. "Okay, okay, so you guys remember the recital that I'm going to be performing in tomorrow night?" 

"How could we not, you wouldn't shut up about it," Tristan muttered. Unfortunately, the brunette had heard him, and she shot him a nasty glare before continuing.

"Well, guess what? The director gave me free tickets for each of my friends!"

"Really?" Yugi asked excitedly. "That's fantastic Téa!"

Her other friends showed their enthusiasm, though more out of the knowledge that if they didn't, it would really hurt her feelings.

"Wow, you've been practicing for weeks, haven't you?" Ryou asked.

"Yeah," Téa answered, glad someone other than Yugi was interested. "I almost can't believe I'm going to be performing tomorrow!"

The rest of the evening was passed in celebration over good food and drink (no wine of course, they're still underage). At one point Téa excused herself, saying she needed to use the ladies room.

"Better hurry back soon, or Joey might finish your food!" Tristan called after her as a joke.

She gave a short laugh and caught Joey's infuriated shout, before stepping into the rest rooms.

-

"Okay, Seto, open up your present!" Mokuba said excitedly, handing his older brother a small, nicely wrapped gift.

Kaiba cocked an amused brow. His little brother had thought of everything. "What did you get me, Mokuba?" He asked, turning the box this way and that. It was a good question, what did you get the man who had everything?

But Mokuba wasn't going to let his brother off that easy. "If you want to find out, you're going to have to open it," he teased.

With genuine interest, the young CEO took the wrapping paper off and opened the box. With a thin smile, he took out two chess pieces in the shape of a Blue Eyes White Dragon. His brother was, indeed, clever.

"And what piece is this supposed to represent?" He asked.

"The knight," Mokuba answered. "Whenever you duel and you're in a tight spot, the Blue Eyes always jumps in to get you out, just like a knight always jumps in to defend another piece."

Kaiba's smiled broadened a bit more as he listened to his brother's parody. Pocketing the two pieces, he said, "Thank you, Mokuba. I'll use it every time I play chess. Now, what do you say we go home? I've got a couple of business meetings to prepare for tomorrow."

"Sounds good to me!" The younger Kaiba agreed merrily.

The two gathered their things, leaving a check with more than enough money for a tip on the table. They were almost by the door, when Kaiba stopped, seeing a most familiar looking brunette. His mouth curled up into a most evil smile. Perfect. Just the thing he needed to top off his birthday.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't little Téa Gardner. Who knew you could afford to dine in such an expensive restaurant? Did someone at Burger World leave you an extra large tip? Or-" his eyes roved over the diner, resting on the table where the gang sat. "-did your 'friends' decide to pool all their money together to buy you a pity meal?" He chuckled as he saw the brunette getting angry.

"For your _information_, Kaiba, my friends and I are here _celebrating_ because tomorrow night I'm going to be performing the lead role in the Domino Ballet Show! Not that _you_ would know anything about that, seeing as you have absolutely no taste for the arts, unless it counts sitting at your computer all day long, typing like some freak!" She spat.

"I can see how much you know of the arts judging by how great your comebacks are. Really, did you read that in a book, or did you come up with it all by yourself? I should applaud you; I didn't know your mind had enough capacity for more than two sentences."

"Shut up, Kaiba, as though you know anything! I bet you couldn't do a pirouette to save your life!" She said, her voice now cold, matching the steeliness in his eyes.

"Ha, as though I would want to. Why, I bet you wouldn't last a day without your precious 'friends' and those lame speeches of yours."

"Oh yeah? I bet I could run Kaiba Corp. _and_ still have time for dance practice afterwards!"

Kaiba gave a high, cold laugh. "I wish I could see that. Little Miss Téa Gardner, trying to run a multi-billion dollar company. You would never last a day in my shoes. Let's go Mokuba."

The two brothers turned to leave, when, quite suddenly, all the lights in the restaurant began to flicker, as the very walls themselves shook.

"What's going on?" Téa cried, but even as she said this, everything stopped, and went back to what it was before.

Kaiba didn't say anything. He gave Téa one last, cold stare, then swept out of the diner, little brother in tow.

"Over-inflated, egotistical tyrants," she muttered, making her way back to the table where her friends were waiting for her.

"What took you so long?" Joey asked when she sat back down. "The food's already cold!"

"Are you okay, Téa?" Yugi asked in concern. "You look all hot and flustered."

"Yeah, well, I ran into Kaiba." The brunette answered, running a hand through her hair.

"Tha' jerk! What's he doin' here?" Joey exclaimed.

"I have no idea, but he just got me really, really mad," Téa fumed, breathing heavily through her nostrils. "He really ruined my night."

"Well, come on, cheer up," Ryou said. "You're performing tomorrow, remember?"

"Yeah, and we're all being there to cheer you on!" Tristan added enthusiastically.

Téa managed a weak smile. "Thanks guys. Hey, did any of you feel that earthquake before? It was really weird."

"What earthquake?" Yugi asked in puzzlement.

"Just before, the lights started flickering, and the walls began to shake…didn't…didn't you guys feel it?"

The others glanced at each other. "We didn't feel anything…the lights were on the entire time, and the walls definitely weren't shaking."

"Huh? Well, that's weird. I could've sworn I-" she stopped, feeling slightly nauseous. "Ugh, guys, I'm not feeling so good, I think I'm going to have to call it a night."

The others looked at her with growing concern.

"Are you okay, Téa?" Bakura asked. "You're not coming down with something, are you? Tomorrow night is the performance, if you get ill, it definitely won't be good."

"Was it Kaiba?" Joey asked, grinding a fist into his palm. "Was it something he said?"

"No guys, I'm fine, honest," she answered reassuringly. "And anyways, how could Kaiba do something? No, I'll be okay, I just need some rest, it's probably just the food or something."

"Alright, Téa, we'll walk you home," Yugi said slowly, as they all prepared to leave.

-

Once back in her apartment, the brunette changed into her nightclothes and lay down on her bed, thinking. Her friends had certainly understood when she said she wasn't feeling well. The encounter with Kaiba had definitely rattled her. Even now, as she lay on her bed, in her quiet, peaceful apartment, she still felt her blood boil.

Oh, what wouldn't she give to wipe the smirk off that tyrant's face, to see him lose to something and realize he wasn't an infallible, omnipotent being he constantly made himself out to be. If he would live a day in her shoes…he'd never last an hour, he'd completely collapse.

_As if that's ever going to happen,_ she thought, turning on her side and closing her eyes. _The only way is if we switch bodies or something, ha, like anyone would want to be in his body._

-

"Hey Seto, I came to wish you a good night," Mokuba walked into his brother's study. The youth was clad in blue pajamas complete with a nightcap.

"Goodnight then," the CEO answered, typing avidly away on his computer.

"…and, happy birthday again."

The typing stopped momentarily, as the brunet took his eyes off the monitor to glance at his younger brother. "I still have them, Mokuba," he said, fishing the custom-made pieces out of the inner pocket of his jacket.

The youth's eyes lit up immediately. "I'm glad you like them, Seto."

He was about to turn around and leave, when a thought struck him. "Hey, Seto," he said. "Can I ask you something?"

Without looking up, Kaiba nodded his head.

"How come you were so mean to Téa today, at the restaurant?"

The memory of the fight brought a smile to the man's lips. "When you're older, you'll understand." He answered.

"Okay…it's just…she seemed really angry, and, I don't know, she seems like a nice person, I mean, she did save my life, so she can't be all that bad, can she?"

"She's one of Yugi's little friends, so does it really matter if she's nice or not? Besides, she's annoying. The one thing she never shuts up about is friendship, and I've been hearing those speeches from her for as much as I can stand. I'm just giving her some payback."

"Whatever you say, big brother. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Kaiba muttered, concentrating more on the screen than on the fact that his little brother had just gone off to bed.

The minutes ticked by, and soon, an hour had passed since the younger one had gone off to bed. Kaiba began to feel dizzy, but brushed it off. He had been feeling like this since he'd left the restaurant, but had ignored it, and it had gone away. Now, it seemed, the feeling was returning with vengeance.

He tried to disregard it, but it seemed the same tactic wouldn't work twice. The pain was persistent, and kept getting stronger, until he was forced to call it a night.

Cursing slightly, he changed into his nightclothes, and got into bed.

_This headache had better be gone by tomorrow morning,_ he thought angrily, as he set the alarm to wake him up extra early.

If he'd known what the morrow would bring, perhaps he wouldn't have been so eager for it to arrive.

TBC…


	2. Chapter 2

**Save the Last Dance**

The incessant beeping of an alarm clock rang throughout the large room. Téa rolled over in bed, feeling around for the snooze button.

"Ugh…what time is it?" She mumbled. Opening one bleary eye, she glanced at the digital clock. It read five a.m.

"FIVE O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING?!" She screeched. "I didn't set the alarm for that early!"

She hit the "off" button, and tried going back to sleep, but found that now that she was awake, she couldn't. Grumbling, she threw off the covers and got out of bed, feeling heavier than usual.

_Man, that restaurant food sure leaves you feeling bloated. That's the last time I eat anything there._ She made her way to the bathroom, every step feeling cumbersome, thinking she may as well try to get a head start to her day. Yawning, she pushed open the door, feeling as though something was off. It wasn't until she was standing in front of the mirror though, that the full impact of what she was seeing hit her.

She screamed.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, no, no, no, nonononononononononononoNO!" She cried in a panic, as the image that stared back at her was none other than Seto Kaiba. "This is not happening, this _can't_ be happening! Wait, that's it, this is all just a dream! I have absolutely nothing to worry about, because in a few minutes I'm going to wake up and realize this is all just some nightmare."

She crossed her arms, waiting. A few minutes passed, and nothing happened.

"C'mon!" She exclaimed, trying to pinch a sinewy arm. It hurt, but she still didn't wake up. "Okay Téa, you're just going to close your eyes, and when you open them, you're going to be back in your bed, in your _own_ house."

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. After a moment or two, she cracked one eye open, and saw she was still in Kaiba's body.

"No! This can't be happening to me!" She cried, her palms flat against the marble sink. "This is impossible!"

As she stood there, trying to convince herself that it wasn't real, a thought struck her. A thought so terrifying, it made the blood freeze in her veins.

_If I'm here in Kaiba's body, than Kaiba must be…_

An ear-splitting shriek pierced the morning air, causing the birds outside to fly off the rafters in shock.

"Mr. Kaiba!" The security guards burst through the door. "Mr. Kaiba! Are you all right? We thought we heard you screaming! Mr. Kaiba?"

Inside the bathroom, Téa froze. Realizing she had to do something fast before the guards became hysterical, she cleared her throat nervously and said, "I'm-I'm fine. I was just, uh…" she looked around for inspiration. "Taking a shower, yeah, and the water was…freezing cold."

The security guards looked at one another in puzzlement.

"But Mr. Kaiba, you ordered that all the hot water be turned off at night because you like to take your showers when the water is at its coldest."

"That insane psycho! Who takes a cold shower in the winter!"

"What did you say, Mr. Kaiba, sir?"

"I mean, forget what I said, I want to take a hot shower today, so when I count to five, the water better be at 80 degrees!"

"Yes sir! Right away, sir!" The two men ran out of the room as fast as they could, slamming the door behind them.

Slowly, Téa opened the bathroom door, checking to make sure the coast was clear before coming out. Maybe being Kaiba wasn't so bad after all. Yelling at the guards and getting your way was pretty fun.

"Oh, who am I kidding?!" She cried. "I want my body back!" She became serious. "I don't know how Kaiba did this, but he better have a way to _un_do it!"

She looked at the clock. It was a quarter after five. Her alarm clock, the one she had set the night _before_, was due to go off at six thirty. Kaiba would probably wake up; realize what happened, and then throw a fit. If he was as cool, calm, and collected as he always was though, he'd probably-_What am I saying?! This is Kaiba; he probably planned this whole thing! He's gonna regret it though, I'm going to make sure of it!_ She flexed a muscular arm. _I'll give him the wake up call of the century! Then again…he's in my body, so maybe that's not such a good idea…_

"Hey Seto, watcha doing?"

Téa spun around in surprise, not having heard the door open.

"Mokuba! My…little…brother…" She faltered. Here was an unforeseen obstacle.

"You're not even dressed yet? You not feeling well or something?"

"Ah, no, no, nothing like that at all! I just had a…uh…surprising morning, that's all." _Yeah, surprising all right_. Then an idea struck her. "Hey, Mokuba, sweet, darling little Mokuba…that's my brother…I've got a question for you."

"Sure, Seto, what is it?" The youth quirked an eyebrow at his brother's strange behavior.

"You wouldn't know if I was planning any, oh say, revenge type thing on one of Yugi's friends like, say that Téa Gardner, for instance, would you?"

"Revenge? On Téa? You did say last night you were giving her some payback for all those stupid speeches of hers about friendship."

"WHAT?! STUPID?!" Téa flared up. Caching the expression on Mokuba's face, she reconciled quickly. "I-I mean, where on earth did you get that crazy idea from?" She gave a nervous little laugh. "She speaks the most inspiring words I've ever heard!"

"Didn't you say that's why you were mean to her last night? Because she kept annoying you with her lectures?"

"Forget what I said!" She smiled sweetly, putting an arm around the youth's shoulder. "Listen, Mokie, just between you and me, was I planning on, oh say, switching bodies with someone or something like that?"

"Seto…" The latter was looking genuinely concerned. "Maybe you should see the doctor; I think you might be coming down with something."

Seeing that she was completely blowing her cover, she decided to try again. "Don't worry Mokuba, I'm fine, I was just, ah, testing you, that's all. Why don't you go down for breakfast, I'll be there in a minute, just need to…get dressed."

"O…kay," Mokuba said slowly. "You're not going to take a shower though? I mean, you take one every morning, and you always tell me how important they are."

"R-Really?"

"Yeah, I mean, you always say at the orphanage we rarely got to take showers, and we shouldn't take for granted the fact that now, we can take as many as we want-" the boy suddenly looked stricken. "Sorry Seto, I didn't mean to start talking about the past like that, I know how much you hate it."

"It's okay, Mokuba," Téa said quietly. "Remembering what to be grateful for isn't a bad thing, it keeps us from taking those same things for granted."

Mokuba looked relieved that his brother hadn't chastised him. He was actually being more kind and understanding than usual.

"See you downstairs, Seto!" He called cheerfully, closing the door behind him.

"See you…" Téa immediately snapped back to the problem at hand.

There wasn't a chance in heaven or the other place that she was going to take a shower while in this body. No way, not happening. If it had been someone else in her situation, one of Kaiba's fan-girls, perhaps, they would likely have ogled at themselves in front of a mirror. She, however, respected people's privacy, even if they were conceited, arrogant, egotistical jerks.

She just hoped those very same people respected her privacy as well.

-

Kaiba opened his eyes as loud music blared from the radio-alarm clock next to his bed. This was not the usual way he was woken up. Normally the clock emitted a string of beeps until he shut it off. Someone, perhaps Mokuba, had decided to play a practical joke and have music play instead. It did not amuse him.

It amused him even less when he saw the time. Six thirty.

"The he-" he stopped as, instead of his deep, throaty tones, a high-pitched voice sounded. That was when he began to take notice of his surroundings and realized that he wasn't in his room. In fact, he wasn't even in his own house!

"_Someone_ is going to pay," he hissed in a low, threatening growl. Except, the voice that came out sounded more like a girl's voice…an _annoying_ girl's voice, one he had no trouble recognizing.

As though to confirm his suspicions, he walked over to the bathroom and stared into the mirror. Staring back at him was a girl he knew all-too-well. Téa Gardner.

The idea that this was possibly a dream was immediately vetoed, simply because he was not a believer of such things. That left the only other option available: it was actually happening. His mind ran through a series of people who could have done this.

Pegasus? No, he was incapacitated. The Big Five? Impossible, there wasn't a shred of memory left from them. Jinx? He was all the way in America, and besides, he didn't have this kind of technology. Noa? Perhaps, then again, he got deleted, hadn't he? Who else…

When his mind finally came upon it, he nearly slapped himself for not thinking of it in the first place. Of course! Who else would have done this if not…_Yugi_.

He clenched a fist in anger. This was probably his idea of a practical joke! The Gardner-girl might have been the one to suggest it to him. His hands shook in anger, as he imagined the laugh they were all having at his expense.

Then, a much worse scenario presented itself to his mind. If he was in this body, then that meant Téa was in his. She could pose as him! She would have unlimited access to everything that was his! The computer, the business, even Mokuba wouldn't be able to tell the difference! She could ruin his entire reputation; destroy his entire company from the inside out! Everything he'd worked for his whole life would be ruined!

No, he had to stop this! Yugi must have some accomplices, and they all plotted this together, probably one of his competitors.

He had sworn a long time ago to crush whoever would try to destroy him, and he had kept that vow before. This time would be no different.

His mind already working on a plan, he set about tackling the first complication of the day. Getting dressed.

His usual morning routine consisted of exercising in his private gym, taking a shower, eating breakfast, then working in the office from home until he had to leave.

However, he wasn't in his own body, and, plot to destroy him or not, he knew Téa would flail him within an inch of his life is he so much as went to the bathroom. Then again, perhaps he _should_ do a bit exploring. After all, it would serve her right for volunteering for Yugi's little scheme.

He wouldn't though, because he had a sense of honor. Had it been Tristan or Joey, or some other boy from their school, Kaiba was positive they would exploit the girl's body to its fullest. He wasn't going to sink to their level. Privacy was privacy, and he hoped, for Téa's sake, she was watching what she was doing as well.

-

"Oh wow, all this food is for us?!" Téa exclaimed, gazing starry-eyed down the long table. There was everything, from waffles with ice cream, to cereal and milk. She had never had such a lavish breakfast before; it was usually just some toast with marmalade, or a bowl of Rice Krispies, if she could manage it.

"Yeah, Seto, we have this every morning," Mokuba stared at his brother oddly, wondering what was wrong with him today.

"Uh…right! We have this every morning, but I just…never appreciated it before. You reminded me how grateful we should be for things like showers, it made me realize how much more so we should be for things like food!" As she said this, she loaded her plate with pancakes, waffles, eggs and some toast.

"Did you sleep in late this morning?" The boy inquired.

"You…could say that."

Mokuba finished eating and smiled. "You should do it more often; I like it when you wake up in a good mood because of a few extra hours of sleep."

Téa smiled back warmly. _Poor Mokuba,_ she thought, as she chewed her food. _If Kaiba's such a sourpuss during the day, I can only imagine what he's like early in the morning. It must have been a while since he's seen his brother happy, if Kaiba ever is. Maybe I should start a conversation with him; it doesn't look like Kaiba pays him all that much attention._

"So…Mokuba…how do you like school?"

The youth looked up in surprise. His brother never asked him this before. "It's okay, I guess…kinda boring, really."

"How come?" She asked interestedly, as she continued eating.

He shrugged his shoulders, slouching forward in his seat. "We're always learning the same thing, and it's just…I don't know, boring."

"Did you tell the teacher?"

"Yeah, but she doesn't do anything, just tell me to do the next page in the workbook. I already went through the entire textbook and finished it, so now I just sit quietly in the back and read, or play my PSP."

"That's not good," Téa said, taking a sip of orange juice. "A smart kid like you shouldn't have to sit in class and do nothing, that's for people who don't know anything, and you, Mokuba, know a lot."

"You really think so, Seto?" The boy looked up at his older brother, eyes shining.

"Of course I do," Téa continued sincerely. "You're my little brother; after all, what would you be if not a genius like me?"

From the look on Mokuba's face, she could tell she had said the right thing. If anything had given his confidence a boost, hearing his older brother saying he thought of him as an equal had.

"So how about going over to your principle and telling him what you just told me? Maybe he'll agree to change you into a harder class, or bump you up a grade, whaddaya say?"

"I'll definitely do it," the younger Kaiba agreed enthusiastically.

Glancing at the clock, Téa realized there was about fifteen minutes left until school would start. She finished eating quickly and grabbed a light jacket from the closet. Or, more correctly, she _would_ have, if the closet hadn't been filled with anything but trench coats. There had to be one in at least every color of the rainbow (except maybe pink), including his seemingly favorite one that had been designed for Battle City, and which he had continued wearing ever since.

"Well, it's not so cold out anyway," she muttered. Besides, she was in Kaiba's body, and he never seemed to get cold. Actually, he never seemed to feel anything at all.

"C'mon Seto, the limo's waiting, I've already got your case for you," Mokuba called.

Feeling incredibly grateful that Kaiba had such a thoughtful younger brother, she hurried after him to the awaiting limousine.

The entire way Mokuba seemed to be extra cheerful, and had chattered away happily. Though Téa didn't know the boy very well, she had never seen him this happy with his brother, as she did now. Even the chauffer noticed, and remarked on it as he drove to the high school.

"Young Master Mokuba seems especially cheerful today," he said, glancing at her in the rear-view mirror.

"And why shouldn't he be?" Téa asked haughtily, thinking it sounded like something Kaiba would say.

Evidently, it was, for the driver didn't say another word. As they pulled up in front of the school, she tried to put on a look of cool intimidation, keeping in mind that everyone thought she was someone else.

"Have a good day, Master Seto."

"A good day to you, too," she responded without thinking, as she shut the door behind her and watched him drive off.

-

Kaiba had somehow managed to get dressed that morning. Putting on the tacky uniform had definitely been a change of pace. It was a good thing Téa was so organized, and laid out her clothes the night before. He shuddered at the thought of having to look through her wardrobe.

It had taken him some time to get used to the body. Hers was much more delicate than his, he discovered, and required much greater care. He already saw this just from her endless supply of skincare products, lotions, and moisturizers. Not that he had bothered with any of them. What did he care if her skin got dry, or she began to break out? Not much, really.

Right now, he was trying to decide whom to corner first. Yugi, or Téa. A biting wind blew in his direction, and Kaiba silently cursed the girl's fragility. _Does she have to be so sensitive to the cold?_ He thought in irritation, as he involuntarily shook. He hadn't thought twice about taking a jacket, he never had the need for one.

Glancing at his watch, he saw there was still time until classes would start, so he didn't think he'd be late, and, if everything was still running smoothly at Kaiba Mansion, then the limo should have reached the school by now.

Stamping his feet from the cold, Kaiba cursed the Gardner-girl once more in his mind. _Why does she have to walk to school, has she never heard of the bus?!_

At long last, he reached the school building, just as he saw a familiar black limo driving off. His eyes narrowed as he saw a figure walking towards the school building, eyes following its every move.

With an expression never before seen on the brunettes face, he took a step forward with the intention of reaching Téa before she had the chance to disappear into the masses of students inside the building. His way, however, was suddenly blocked by three of the last people he ever wanted to meet. Well, two out of three.

"Hey Téa, what's up?" Joey asked, grinning.

"Are you feeling any better since last night?" Yugi inquired.

Kaiba smirked inwardly to himself. Here was his chance to expose the little runt.

"You know, you look a bit pale," Tristan observed.

"Pale, huh?" He spoke, the brunette's long bangs shadowing his eyes.

"Are you okay, Téa? You really don't sound so good."

A long arm shot out, grabbing Yugi by the collar and lifting him high into the air.

"Well, let's just say I'm not feeling myself at the moment."

TBC…

A/N:

Ooooh, cliffhanger. Next chapter will be up asap. Thank you everyone who reviewed so far :D


	3. Chapter 3

**Save the Last Dance**

Cries and screams reached Téa's ears as she reached the doors to the building. Turning around, she saw a spectacle that surely would have made Kaiba laugh if he had been seeing it. Then again, it _was_ Kaiba who was making the scene.

_That jerk!_ She thought in an outrage, as she saw her own arm holding Yugi suspended in midair. _No way is he going to use _my_ body to get his stupid revenge on Yugi!_

With long, purposeful strides, she marched over to where Kaiba was, in the midst of throttling Yugi.

"I'm waiting for an answer, how did you do it?" Kaiba snarled.

"D-Do what, Téa?!" Yugi choked. "I…don't…know what you're…talking about!"

Joey and Tristan tried to restrain her, but they had no such luck. The brunette was proving more able than them.

"What's gotten into her?!" Tristan asked, as he tried without success to loosen her grip.

"I don't know, but she's acting like she's possessed! This is exactly what happened when Marik took control of her mind!"

"You think that's happening now?"

"Anything's possible."

"I'm still waiting for an answer," Kaiba said, and he couldn't help but smirk gleefully as he saw Yugi squirm in his hand.

"Téa, you have to believe me, I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Liar!"

"Drop him, Kaiba!"

A hush seemed to descend on the crowd that had gathered to watch. Téa suddenly realized that everyone was looking at her. She mentally slapped herself as she realized she had told _Kaiba_ to drop him.

_Okay Téa, you can do this, just act like some ego-inflated jerk._

"Drop him, Gardner."

The brunette smirked. "Well, look who it is. Now that you're here, I can get all the answers I need. So tell me, how did you do it?"

Téa narrowed her eyes. "Funny, I was going to ask you the same thing."

"Don't play games with me," Kaiba had thrown Yugi aside and now turned to face Téa fully. "You and shrimp-ball over there were in on this together. I want to know who your accomplices were, and what kind of technology you used."

Téa crossed her arms. "You're paranoid."

"Am I?" Kaiba narrowed his eyes angrily. "If I were you, I wouldn't be calling names, I'd be worried."

"Your threats don't scare me, Kai-Gardner. I could do much worse than anything you ever could."

"Would you like to try me?"

Téa was doing some rapid thinking. They were in school, in middle of a swarm of students who were hanging on their every word. If either of them tried to speak more openly, everyone would think they were crazy, not to mention it would ruin both their reputations. Kaiba seemed to be hinting at something…but what?

"Why don't you try talking clearly for once?"

"What would be the fun in that? You're the _all-powerful_,_ Seto Kaiba_, aren't you?"

Then it hit her, and Téa practically slapped herself. Of course! She was in _Kaiba's_ body, everyone thought she was him! Looking around at the assembled students, the brunette prepared herself to be mean.

"All right everyone, scram! The show is over and the bell rang five minutes ago! Get lost!"

No one moved a muscle.

Kaiba slapped himself on the forehead.

Téa, seeing she was losing it, cleared her throat and tried again. "I _said_, leave! Now! Before I use my influential connections to make life miserable for each and every one of you!"

That seemed to have done the trick, for all at once; there was a sudden mad dash towards the doors.

"And why are you three still standing around?" Téa asked, eyeing her friends.

"You think we're goin' ta take orders from a jerk like you?!" Joey glared.

_Think like Kaiba, think like Kaiba…_

"Well, mutt, do we have to throw a stick to get rid of you? Or maybe you need something better, a doggy bone perhaps?"

"Grrrr!" Joey was ready to pounce on him, but Tristan held him back.

"C'mon man, let's go, he's not worth it."

"What about…Téa," Joey glanced at the brunette whose bangs were covering her eyes.

"She'll be fine."

"Right, like we're really gonna leave her with a jerk like you, Kaiba!" Joey spat.

"I'd rather be left alone with him, than with a canine like you, Wheeler."

The mixture of shock and hurt on her friend's face, cut through Téa like a knife. She watched as the trio receded, Yugi casting one last glance back at the brunette. The minute they were gone, she collapsed to the ground, tears falling rapidly onto the grass.

"Get up off the floor," Kaiba ordered, standing over her. "The last thing I need is for someone to see you slobbering like that, and think it's me."

Aside from what it would do to his reputation, it irked Kaiba quite a lot to see tears running down _his_ cheeks. He hadn't cried since he was a young child, and though he'd never admit it, seeing himself get all emotional made him feel weak and helpless, even though he knew it wasn't actually him.

"How dare you say that, Kaiba!" Téa cried, looking up to glare into his face. "How dare you hurt my friends! They think it was _me_ who said that to them!"

"Good. And I'll see to it that they think it's you who does a lot of things, if you don't tell me how to reverse this now." He answered coldly.

Slowly, she stood up, wiping away the tears. "I told you already, I have no idea. If anything, it's _your_ fault that this happened!"

"_My_ fault?!" Kaiba exclaimed, outraged. "How dare you try to blame this on me!"

"Who else has access to this kind of technology?"

"Why the heck would I want to switch bodies with you?!" Kaiba spat.

Téa shrugged. "I'm not here to fathom the way your twisted mind works."

"If you think I have nothing better to do than live your life, than you're wrong," he added nastily, "if you even have a life."

"I have more in one day than you will ever have in an entire lifetime! I have hopes and dreams, things I look forward to, like spending time with my friends and dance practice! And you, what do you look forward to when you wake up in the morning? Staring at a monitor like some robot, working and ignoring those around you!"

Kaiba glared at her. She returned the look with matched enmity. Both stood there, the anger between them almost palpable.

Deciding this was wasting time, Kaiba at last spoke. "I want to know who else was in on this."

Téa rolled her eyes. "I told you Kaiba, I have nothing to do with this. I had no idea that when I woke up this morning, I was going to be in your body, and Yugi didn't have anything to do with this either! He'd never put his friends through something like this!"

Kaiba was silent. As much as he hated to admit it, he was at a dead end. There didn't seem to be anyone else to blame.

"For now, it seems, we're going to have to live each other's lives," he bit out at last. "At least, until I find a way to undo this."

Téa nodded her head. "Looks like it." Then the reality of the situation seemed to hit her like a ton of bricks. Her eyes widened. "Oh no wait! You can't!"

Kaiba stared at her.

"No! Tonight's the recital! I have to perform!"

Kaiba smirked. "Should have thought about that before."

Téa felt herself flare up as Kaiba began walking away. She reached out and grabbed him by the arm, pulling him back.

"Oh no you don't!" She said fiercely. "This is all _your_ fault! If you don't switch us back by seven p.m. tonight, _you're_ performing instead of me!"

Kaiba pushed her hands off him. "Like heck I am! Tell them you can't make it!"

"Oh, and what should I say, I'm sorry, I'm stuck in Seto Kaiba's body!? I've been training for this recital for weeks! I've spent every spare moment I had practicing, there is no way I'm missing it tonight, and since _you're_ the one in my body, _you're_ doing it!"

"Ha! There's no way you're going to get me on that stage just so some idiot can glue wings to my back and have me prance around in a tutu."

But there was that steely glint in her eyes that told Kaiba, like it or not, he was getting on that stage and performing.

"Listen, Kaiba, and listen well," Téa spoke each word slowly and clearly. "There are going to be eight hundred people watching this recital tonight, including directors from several prestigious dance schools in New York. This could be my big break to get offered a scholarship to one of them. You mess this up for me, and I swear you'll regret it."

"And what are you going to do, sell the company to my competitors?" Kaiba scoffed. She would never have the guts to do something like that.

"Darn right I will!" She exclaimed. "If you mess this up for me, I'll ruin your life."

"Hmph. I'd like to see you try." He began walking away, indicating the conversation was over, but Téa would not give up so easily.

"Kaiba," she called after him, and there was something in her voice that caused him to stop and turn around. It was different, somehow. Cold, determined, no longer emotional, and with a steeliness that only his voice could ever possess. "I hope you're paying attention, because I'm only going to say this once. Right now, we're in each other's bodies. Everyone thinks that _I'm_ Seto Kaiba, and _you're_ Téa Gardner. My friends were fooled, your brother was fooled, and if I walked into Kaiba Corp. right now, even your state-of-the-art security system will be fooled. All the power you hold is now mine. If you don't think I have the ability to destroy everything you've worked so hard for, think again. Now, we can either work with each other, or against each other. It's your choice."

TBC…

A/N: another cliff-hanger, sort of. I'm good at these, ne? I have finals coming up next week, so I might not update right away. But next chapter will be longer than this one. Thank you to everyone who reviewed!


	4. Chapter 4

**Save the Last Dance**

"…Now, in 1535, the Ottoman Empire took control of Baghdad from the Persians, thus gaining control of Mesopotamia and naval access to the Persian Gulf…"

_I don't believe this,_ Seto Kaiba seethed silently, as he sat in the front row where Téa normally sat. _The nerve of that brat! She thinks she can blackmail me?! Me, Seto Kaiba!_

She had a lot of gall, offering him that ultimatum. _"…We can either work with each other, or against each other, it's your choice."_

What was worse was that she was right. He really _didn't_ have much of a choice. Though he didn't believe Téa would actually keep her word if he refused to do her stupid dance, he wasn't willing to completely write it off. There was just too much risk involved.

Téa had a lot to lose as well. Her dreams, her goals, her friends…but there was no comparison. His loss would definitely be the greater of the two.

_Hmph. If she thinks she can toy with me, then she clearly doesn't know what she's getting herself into. Two can play at this game._

Over in the back of the classroom, Téa sat in the desk normally occupied by Kaiba, bending over a piece of paper and studiously taking notes. _Man, if only I had gotten Kaiba's brains instead of his brawn,_ she thought as she paused in her writing to give her hand a rest. _It would've been nice to take a break for once and let someone else do all the work._

The teacher was now handing out sheets of paper to everyone in the class. Téa glanced at it, and groaned, realizing it was a pop quiz on yesterday's lesson. She felt somewhat nervous, since she hadn't studied the night before, and she didn't have her notes with her to look over them quickly.

Trying her hardest to remember everything she could about the Ottoman Empire and medieval Europe, she answered the questions to the best of her ability. By the time she was done, she felt confident that she had passed. She knew all the answers to the questions, and wouldn't have been surprised if she scored an A.

As she handed in her paper, she glanced over in Kaiba's direction, and their eyes locked. Kaiba was smiling, an ominous sign. Her good mood instantly vanished, and she wondered nervously what could have possibly happened to make him happy. Usually when Kaiba was in a good mood, it was only because someone else was in a bad one…or was about to be.

"Miss Gardner?" Téa heard her name being called and she looked up.

"Yes, Professor Yamano?" Téa heard her voice answering.

"What is the meaning of this paper?" The teacher held up a completely blank page.

"What's the meaning of what?" Kaiba asked, smirking slightly.

Téa gripped the pencil in her hand very, very hard. _Oh no, he wasn't, he was not…_

"Don't play dumb, Miss Gardner. Is this the paper you're planning on handing in? You do realize this constitutes an F, as you didn't answer even one question on this test?"

"Well, Professor, I was thinking it over last night, and decided, 'what's the point in studying when I know the subject better than you do'."

The teacher's eyes flashed over her spectacles as she placed her hands on her hips. "Is that so?"

"Yep. In fact, I bet I could teach it better than you could as well."

"Oh really? And you're a fully certified historian, now are you?"

Kaiba nodded his head, smirking still, as the rest of the class hung onto every word of the conversation. "Yes, Professor. In fact, I can tell you that you've long since expired."

"Well-if I-never!" The teacher shrieked in disdain. Behind her, the rest of the class began laughing and whispering, muttering to one another.

"Man, I don't know what's gotten into her, but I reckon Téa's gone over the edge!" Joey whispered to Tristan.

"In the meantime, Téa, the _real_ one who was trapped inside Kaiba's body, shook with suppressed rage. _That fiend!_ She seethed silently to herself. _I know why he's doing this! Well, two can play at this game!_

She took a deep breath and stood up, preparing to do what she'd never done before. Lie to a teacher.

"Professor, please excuse Téa's behavior. She's been under a lot of pressure these last few weeks and is very stressed out."

"Well, Mr. Kaiba, it's certainly unexpected to hear _you_ defend someone, however, Téa has a mouth and can very well speak for herself!"

Everyone turned their heads expectantly to the brunette sitting in her seat. An evil look gleamed in her eyes.

"Why, I have no idea what the great, amazing, most admirable Seto Kaiba means. Although it is such an _honor_ to have him stand up and defend my virtually worthless reputation, I honestly don't know what he's talking about. I haven't been under any pressure, and I'm certainly not stressed out."

Téa threw a look of purest hatred in his direction, as the bell, at that moment, decided to make itself heard. Without waiting for anyone or anything, she stood up, and grabbed Kaiba by the arm, dragging him out of the classroom.

To the rest of the class, it looked like Seto Kaiba had grabbed Téa Gardner and carried her outside.

At once, a babble of talk broke out. Many of Kaiba's fan girls put their heads together, all of them plotting and envisioning the downfall of Téa Garder. Guys who had had their eye on the brunette were asking themselves what the CEO had that they didn't have, and 3 boys, Yugi, Joey, and Tristan, just stood there, mystified, trying to figure out what had happened to their friend, and moreover, why Kaiba suddenly seemed to care.

Those very same people, at the moment, were standing in a, thankfully empty, classroom.

"Just what the _heck_ do you think you're doing?!" Téa began furiously.

Kaiba smirked. "What I should've done in the first place. Tell me, Téa, what do you think everyone's going to say about you now? What are your _friends_ going to think?"

"I wonder what the school will say when I give them a reason to expel you!" Téa spat back.

"Ah, ah, you wouldn't want to do that, now would you? Otherwise, I might not feel so inclined to get up on that stage and hop around like you want me to."

"Oh, so that's what this is about?!" Téa raged. "The recital?!"

"Listen here, Gardner, you may have my body, but I will _not_ tolerate taking orders from you! I don't care what you do, people don't like me anyways, and I don't like them. You can go ahead and ruin my reputation, but I can easily build it up again. Can you say the same if I were to ruin yours?"

"It doesn't make much of a difference now, considering it's already ruined!" Téa yelled. "Now we're the scuttlebutt of the school! Your fan girls are out there, looking for me, because they think I'm your girlfriend or something!"

"That's your fault," Kaiba replied indifferently. "No one asked you to stick your nose in where it didn't belong."

"Oh, and I should have just let Professor Yamano fail me in her class because _you_ couldn't keep your mouth shut and answer a few questions?!"

"Well then, if you don't want the rest of the staff to fail you, then I suggest you watch the way you talk to me. I'm not your little boy toy, I am Seto Kaiba-"

"Do. You. _Ever_ stop talking about yourself?" Téa interrupted irritably. "Because it's getting really old, really fast."

Kaiba narrowed his eyes. "Just remember, Gardner, there's more than one way to skin a cat." He turned to go, hand already on the knob, when Téa called after him.

"And don't forget, Kaiba, there's more than one way to bring a person down."

With a contemptuous glance in his direction, she pushed past through the door.

Kaiba glared at her turned back. _If you think you can mess with me, Téa Gardner, you're in over your head._

He left the classroom and began walking down the hallway, when he was cornered by three girls, all who had a mean, snobbish look about them.

"So, Téa, how've you been? We haven't spoken in a while," a dark-haired girl placed an arm around the brunette's shoulder.

"Better than you, that's for sure," Kaiba answered, taking her arm off of him. He smirked. These must be more of Téa's friends. Excellent, now was the opportunity to ruin her relationship with them as well.

"I'll say," a blonde answered, chewing bubblegum loudly. "So how long have you guys been together for?"

"Been together with who?" Kaiba asked, eyes narrowed slightly.

"You _know_ who," another black-haired girl responded. "How long have you and Seto been seeing each other?"

Kaiba arched a brow. "Seto? That's Kaiba to you."

"Don't avoid the question, answer us! How long have you and Seto-kun been seeing each other for?!" The blonde burst out impatiently.

"That's none of your business," Kaiba responded. "And what makes you think we're seeing each other?"

"Don't play stupid, we _saw_ how he stood up for you in front of Professor Yamano, and how he knew you were stressed out and everything, how else would he know that?"

"Oh, I don't know, let me think…" Kaiba mocked. "Maybe he was lying? Or did your puny minds not even consider that?"

For some reason, all the girls burst out laughing. The CEO scowled. "I fail to find the source of your amusement."

The blonde put a hand to her chest, gasping for air dramatically as she tried to contain her laughter. "Oh my gosh, did you hear that, Kiki? She says he _lied_ for her!"

Kiki, the first black-haired girl, nodded her head with a snicker. "I heard her alright, Cissy, what do you make of it, Yume?"

Yume, the other black-haired girl, smiled nastily. "I think Téa has her head up in the clouds. Why would the amazing Seto Kaiba _lie_? And for _her_, of all people!"

"And what's _that_ supposed to mean?" Kaiba asked.

Yume's grin broadened. "I'm only saying, if he would lie for anybody, it would mean he cared about them, and, don't take this the wrong way Téa, but the clothes you wear are so tacky, they should have you arrested for committing a fashion crime! So, let me give you a piece of advice: Next time you're in the mall, try picking something that _doesn't_ look like someone puked all over it."

"Are you done yet?" Kaiba asked.

"Yeah, back off!" Cissy said, standing right in front of the brunette and drawing herself up to her full height. "Seto-kun is _mine_! If anyone's going to be his girlfriend, it's _me_, so I better not see you talking to him, making eye contact with him, or looking at him in any way, or else!"

Kaiba raised an amused brow as the blonde turned and began walking away. "Well, those are quite some aspirations you have for yourself," he answered her. "But tell me, why do you think he'd ever want a girlfriend, let alone one as vain and shallow as you are?"

Cissy stopped and whirled around. "What did you just say?" She asked in a deadly voice.

"Don't play stupid with me," he mocked. "You heard exactly what I said, and I'll even repeat it for your slow mind: Why would Seto Kaiba choose someone as vain and shallow as you to be his girlfriend?"

"Oh, that's it Téa, you just crossed the line!" Cissy exclaimed, lunging forward.

Kaiba watched in amusement as the blonde tried to land him a punch, or was it a slap, but he sidestepped her easily. Though it was not in his nature to hit a woman, being in Téa's body seemed to give him that luxury, which was why he had no qualms about lashing out with his foot and sending her flying into her two sidekicks.

Dusting his hands off, he walked over to them, and stopped for a moment. "There is nothing going on between me and Seto Kaiba, and even if there was, you'd be the last people I'd tell. Oh, and let me give _you_ a piece of advice, next time you want to impress a guy you like, try to not come across as supercilious, because guys like Seto Kaiba don't enjoy that. I should know."

He stalked off, though, not before he saw the murderous looks on all three of their faces.

When he got to his next class, Algebra, he took Téa's usual seat in the front, giving himself a self-satisfied smirk, which made Téa, when she saw it, wonder what had happened.

As the teacher droned on, something about polynomials and binomials, Téa found that she couldn't concentrate. Her mind kept wandering back to the smirk Kaiba had given her when he entered the classroom. It was an evil smirk, one that boded no good. He had done something, of that she was sure, she just didn't know what.

Finally, deciding that she couldn't take it anymore, she surreptitiously passed him a note, at the same time cursing the fact that he sat in the back all the time.

Kaiba received the note, taking a good guess as to whom it was from. However, before he could open it and see if he was right, the teacher swooped down upon him and snatched it from his hand.

"Well, well, well, Miss Gardner. Passing notes in class? Tsk, tsk, now that's going to cost you ten demerits."

Téa slapped herself. _Of all the stupid times to get caught!_

"It seems this note is more interesting then my lesson," the teacher continued. "So let's share it with the class, I'm sure they'll find it very interesting as well."

Kaiba hadn't moved a muscle. He didn't know what the note said, but as long as it was only Téa's reputation on the line, he didn't much care.

"Let's see…" The professor cleared his throat and read aloud in his wheezy voice. "Kaiba. Don't forget we have a date together after school."

The entire class was silent. You could have heard a pin drop. Now it was Kaiba's turn to slap himself.

"Well now," the teacher said, glancing at the brunet in the back of the class. "What do you have to say about this, Mr. Kaiba?"

Téa glanced around the classroom, seeing everyone's eyes on her before responding smoothly: "What else is there to say, except that I didn't forget, and am looking forward to it?"

"WHAT?!" A girl shrieked, standing up. "Téa Gardner's your girlfriend, Seto-kun?!"

"Like heck she is!" A different girl answered. "Those two would be a disaster in the making! Seto-kun is mine!"

"Oh no he isn't, he's mine!"

"Wanna bet?"

"Bring it on girl, you think you can take some of _this_?"

"I think I can take all that and more!"

Right then and there, in the middle of the classroom, there broke out an enormous catfight. It wasn't just the girls who were arguing that fought, other fan girls joined the fray, all fighting over the man they believed to be taken.

While the rest of the class watched eagerly, Téa quietly slipped over to where Kaiba was sitting. He threw her a look full of loathing, which, incredibly, she was able to return with a wide smile.

Then there was a bright flash of light, as someone snapped a photo of the two. The perpetrator ran out of the classroom, yelling, "Wait'll the press gets a load of this!"

"I hate you," Kaiba said.

"Thanks," she grinned. "I didn't really expect this kind of reaction, but hey, it works."

"You planned this, didn't you?"

"Actually, no, but the cat is out of the bag, so may as well have fun, doncha think?"

Kaiba narrowed his eyes. It seemed he had underestimated the Gardner-girl. She was more cunning than he had given her credit for.

His eyes wandered over to the catfight everyone was watching so avidly, and he smirked, thinking of what they were fighting about. Than his smile widened as a thought struck him.

"Why, Téa, I had no _idea_ you wanted to date me so badly. Why, if I had known sooner, before all this happened, I might have agreed to go on a pity date with you."

Téa's jaw dropped open, completely stunned.

"I know, I know, who would have thought I'd give such an offer. What can I say? I do have a generous side."

"You…You…" Téa couldn't find the words to describe the rage that flared up in her at his words.

"It makes you speechless, doesn't it?" Kaiba continued, enjoying himself.

"Don't you even _think_ to suggest that _I_ would have feelings for the likes of _you_!"

"Now Téa, after all our history together? After everything we've been through; don't tell me you forgot already."

"We don't _have_ any _history_ together!" She exclaimed, furious.

Kaiba cocked an amused brow. "Are you forgetting Duelist Kingdom? Battle City? Alcatraz Tower? So many fond memories together, surely you haven't _really_ forgotten…?"

"You…!" Téa swung back her hand as though to slap him, but Kaiba caught her wrist.

"Ah, ah, a guy never hits a girl, remember?"

Glaring at him with pure loathing and hatred, she lowered her hand again, as the bell rang for the next class.

"I suppose we'll continue this later," Kaiba said, a satisfied smile on his face.

"Later," Téa gritted out, as she went to gather her books.

TBC…

AN: woohoo! Done with finals! Hope you guys liked this chapter, made it extra long just for you! Thanks to everyone who's taking out the time to review!


	5. Chapter 5

**Save the Last Dance**

The next class passed slowly, as Téa quietly envisioned Kaiba's death. If before this incident she didn't have a reason to hate the CEO, now she did. She had every reason, he was ruining her life, and she was barely denting his.

She let out a quiet breath, as she looked over at where her three friends were sitting. Yugi kept sending concerned glances at her periodically, Joey would look up every once in a while, a mixture of puzzlement and hurt on his face, and Tristan cracked his knuckles every so often.

Of course, Kaiba was ignoring all of this, or maybe he just didn't notice, which was a good thing, because she wasn't all too sure what he would do if he did.

A folded piece of pink stationary landed on her desk. Téa looked at it in surprise, wondering whom it was from. She looked at Kaiba, wondering if he had sent it, but he was staring out the window. She gritted her teeth. What if the teacher suddenly called on her to answer a question? Would he proceed to ruin her reputation again? And what about this note? Should she open it? Technically speaking, it was for Kaiba, not her, but then again, she _was_ in Kaiba's body, didn't that give her the right leeway to read it?

"Miss Kasten, please tell us what some of the effects of cataracts are."

"Um…"

Téa turned to look at the blonde. Cissy Kasten. The girl, at that moment, chose to turn her attention to her, and without thinking, Téa smiled encouragingly. After all, she had nothing against Cissy.

The said girl's eyes widened, and a light blush tinged her cheeks. For a moment, Téa wondered why, but then it hit her. _Oh shoot! She thinks _Kaiba_ smiled at her! Now she's going to bother him, because she'll think he's interested!_

"Um…the effects of…cataracts are…foggy or cloudy vision…loss of eyesight and…what the heck! Who cares, everyone Seto-kun just smiled at me! Does that mean you're _not_ going out with Téa Gardner?!"

Téa looked stricken for a moment. Than she glanced down at the note and put two and two together. Silently, she cursed.

"Miss Kasten, detention. This is hardly a topic for discussion, and has nothing to do with what we're learn-"

"Shut up you old geezer, and let Kaiba answer the question!" A student yelled.

All eyes were on her, and she felt a particularly furious gaze coming from the front of the classroom. What should she say?

_Think like Kaiba, think like Kaiba…_

"My personal life is none of your business! If I'm going out with Téa Gardner or not is none of your concern, so stay out of my private affairs you dweebs! None of you fan girls ever had a chance with me to begin with, so stop fawning and acting like you do! Sir, the symptoms of cataracts are: loss of peripheral vision, foggy and cloudy eyesight, and loss of color," Téa finished. "I believe that answers your question."

A shocked silence greeted these words. From the front, Kaiba felt a smile tug at his lips. That sounded so much like him it was almost scary. Maybe she wasn't all about friendship after all.

The teacher who seemed to be rather taken aback, continued the lesson. For the rest of the class, no one said or spoke another word, until the lunch bell rang.

When it was only the two of them left in the classroom, Téa handed Kaiba the note. "Someone sent this to you in middle of class, I didn't open it," she said, turning around to leave.

Kaiba stared at the note for a moment, before proceeding to rip it in two.

The sound of shredding paper caused Téa to turn around in surprise. "Didn't you read it?" She asked.

Kaiba shrugged his shoulders. "I get fan-mail like this every day. They all more or less say the same thing."

Téa blinked. Did Kaiba just say something to her without there being a smirk or snide remark to it? Well, there was a first.

She watched as he walked over to his usual seat, taking out his laptop from the case and opening it.

"Get over here," he said, and she felt a ripple of annoyance at the order.

"You could try saying 'please'," she answered, folding her arms.

Kaiba looked up at her, eyes narrowed. "Don't play with me," he said, a slight warning in his voice.

Deciding she was pushing her luck, Téa decided to comply, _just this once_.

"What is it?" She asked, coming over.

"I've rescheduled most of my business meetings," Kaiba spoke as his fingers clicked over the keys. "But there are two you'll have to be present for, because there's no way for me to have them on a different day."

"Oh?" Téa arched a brow. "I thought the _all-powerful, great, amazing, most admirable Seto Kaiba_ can do _any_thing."

Kaiba didn't even grace her with a look, but rather continued his clicking and typing.

"The first business meeting isn't that important, it's just to discuss some ideas of Kaiba Corp. and Creative Incorporated. You don't really have to use your brains much, lucky for you. Even a six year old would be able to understand what they're talking about, so try to follow along."

Téa bristled at the insults, but swallowed it. She would not give Kaiba the satisfaction of a response.

"Lucky for you, Mokuba will be there, so just agree with whatever he says. The second meeting is where you'll have to try and use your business skills…assuming you have any."

"And what's so important about this meeting?" Téa asked.

"There's a small company called VVT, which stands for Virtual Vending Technology. They've been trying to sign an agreement with Kaiba Corp. to work on some new virtual reality game. They're a shoddy company that does a lousy job on anything they make, which explains why they can't make it big in the business world. In any case, they want to sign a contract with my company because they don't have enough financial backing. I've looked into it though, and have decided not to take them on. Their work is pathetic, and having them associated with Kaiba Corp. will only tarnish its good name, so at this meeting, you have to make it clear that you don't want to sign with them, and you won't reconsider, got that?"

Kaiba was glaring so hard at her, that Téa felt compelled to nod her head.

"Good. And I warn you, Gardner, if you do or say anything that will make them think I'm taking them on, you'll regret it."

He shut the laptop with a snap, putting it back in its case.

"Hang on, Kaiba," Téa said suddenly, as the CEO got up to leave. "If I'm doing this for you, than you'd better do something for me."

"Hmm…depends what." Though Kaiba already knew.

Téa felt a surge of anger. "Don't play stupid. The recital. It's tonight, at seven."

"What do you want me to do about it? There's no way I'm performing instead of you."

"Kaiba…" Téa growled.

"Let's get something straight, Gardner. There isn't a chance I'm getting on that stage tonight."

"And what makes you think I'll do what you want me to at those meetings? What if I…accidentally _slip_, and agree to take on that company you hate?"

Kaiba was silent. He knew full well what was possible since she was in his body. "Even if I would _consider_ it, I'm a business man, not a dancer. There's no way I'd be able to take your place."

"I'll teach you the steps," Téa said determinedly. "And if you're a genius like you say you are, it shouldn't take more than an hour to get the hang of it."

Kaiba was silent once more. He had never been in a situation before where the other party had the upper hand. Submitting to their requests was something completely foreign to him, and he did not like it one bit.

"I swear Gardner, if you mess this up, I'll do everything in my power to make sure that, not only won't you get into any dance academy, no one will give you a job, no matter where you go!"

Though she was a bit daunted by his words, knowing full well he would keep them, she nonetheless stood her ground.

"Are you giving me your word?" She asked, a steely resolve in her voice.

"Che. Whatever."

Téa took that as a "yes" in his language, watching as he disappeared through the door. She sat down in an empty seat, letting a sigh of relief escape her lips.

For a moment, she thought Kaiba would refuse, and then she wouldn't know what to do. It was a good thing he cared more about his company than his pride.

Now though, she was going to give him private dance lessons. The thought of it made her laugh. Kaiba, dancing? Kaiba, doing a pirouette or a twirl? Now _there_ was something she could tease him about, even if no one else would believe her.

After all, why should they? The one who will be performing is in her body, after all, and with a bit of luck, no one would be able to tell the difference.

TBC…

A/N:

_………………………………………………please be kind to my poor soul?_


End file.
